Ladipo market crisis: Lagos to prosecute murder suspect

The Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, has said he will personally handle the prosecution of one Monday Lawrence, the suspected killer of Anene Utazi, a trader at Ladipo Market.

Lawrence and other people now at large are standing trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court over the murder of Utazi during a crisis at the market in 2016.

In the eight counts brought against the suspects, the state alleged that Lawrence and others still at large murdered Utazi on February 18, 2016 at Odo-Aladura, Ladipo, Mushin.

The suspects were said to have also inflicted grievous machete cuts on about five other traders at the market.

Last week, Ladipo market union leaders, through their lawyer, Mr. Monday Ubani, petitioned the Lagos State Attorney General to curb the alleged illegal activities of Lawrence, whose murder trial, they claimed, was not being properly handled.

Ubani claimed that Lawrence, a revenue collector for the Mushin Local Government Area, upon being granted bail on October 26, 2016 by Justice Taiwo, started harassing and threatening the witnesses shortlisted to testify in the murder case against him.

“Lawrence has been doing his best to ensure that he escapes justice; he fraudulently obtained a continuation of bail by giving false information on his bail application.He has been intimidating witnesses by issuing death threats and attacking them openly.

“He has also been relentlessly terrorising Ladipo Market with some thugs, especially those who played a part in the murder of Utazi,” Ubani said.

At the last proceedings in the case, however, the prosecutor, Mrs. R. O. Aroyewun, told the court that the AG had indicated interest to personally handle the prosecution of the defendant.

Aroyewun also informed the court that 37 witnesses had been lined up to testify against Lawrence.

Further proceedings in the case have been adjourned till June 21, 2017.

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